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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · file · field · pitcher · stand · root · mark · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mark — a trace
  4. root — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — for sport
  19. stand — to bear
  20. root — of a word
  21. file — a tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com